Tel Aviv Family Court Rejects Woman's Demand for 80% of Marital Assets in Divorce
The Tel Aviv Family Court recently dismissed a woman’s claim to receive 80% of the marital property after more than 40 years of marriage. The couple, married since 1977 and living a Haredi lifestyle, began divorce proceedings following the husband’s police-ordered removal from their home in April 2023. The woman’s request for a protective order was denied, with the court noting attempts to gain an unfair advantage.
The husband sought an equitable division of assets, proposed selling their apartment valued at 2.5 million shekels, and requested the wife pay usage fees of 6,050 shekels per month. He argued he was the sole breadwinner while she was a homemaker and asked to exclude an inheritance of over one million shekels from the division. Conversely, the wife demanded an unequal split, claiming her husband earned tens of thousands monthly from a thriving business, while she had no income. She accused him of hiding assets, concealing income, and conducting an affair funded by household money. She also alleged ongoing verbal, psychological, physical, and economic abuse, including control over family finances and her social benefits.
A court-appointed expert found the husband’s business profits from 2020 to 2022 were under 100,000 shekels annually, with no attributed goodwill due to his age and business nature. Judge Loren Akoka ruled the wife’s choice to remain at home was personal and did not justify an unequal division. The court rejected her claims of economic abuse and found her knowledge of finances contradicted her allegations of exclusion. The judge also noted the wife sought to claim non-divisible assets, such as inheritance, to transfer to their children, effectively demanding all shared property.
The court ordered a valuation process between the parties, with a 45-day deadline; if unresolved, the apartment will be sold on the open market and proceeds split equally. The wife was ordered to pay half the usage fees (3,025 shekels monthly) from April 18, 2023, until eviction, plus 35,000 shekels in legal costs. Collection of usage fees depends on the husband completing the required fee payment.
